About Sidura

About Sidura

Sidura Ludwig’s debut novel, Holding My Breath, was published in Canada (Key Porter Books, 2007), US (Shaye Areheart Books, 2008) and UK (Tindal Street Press, 2007). She was shortlisted for the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, and was a finalist for the CBC Cross Canada Bookshelf.

Sidura’s short fiction appears in literary journals and magazines (Pretext, Jewish Fiction.Net, Canadian Author and Bookman), and anthologies. Her non-fiction work is published in Canadian newspapers (Metro, The Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press), websites and blogs (YummyMummy; Luminato) and on CBC Radio.

Sidura grew up in the Jewish community of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the eldest of four siblings. She began writing seriously in her teens, and won her first writing award and scholarship when she was 18 years old for a short story submitted to the Canadian Authors’ Association short fiction contest. She went on to study English and creative writing at York University (Toronto) as an undergraduate student, and then completed a Masters in Journalism from Carleton University (Ottawa). Currently, Sidura lives in Thornhill, ON with her husband, Jason Shron, and three children, Boaz, Dalya and Isaac.

Sidura started teaching creative writing to children when she was 18. She has taught fiction classes to children and adults ever since, in Toronto, Birmingham UK and Boston, Mass. Sidura strives to never stop learning, and is constantly looking for opportunities to study writing in different ways. Recently, she has taken courses through Story Is A State of Mind (SSM) and the correspondence writing program through Humber College (Award of Merit). In September 2017, she joined the faculty of SSM to teach the Story Course.

Sidura offers specialized writing courses for new and experienced writers, as well as writing mentorships and manuscript evaluation. She is also available to manage communications projects on a consultancy basis.

My Writing Life

I come from a family of storytellers – people who walk in the front door for dinner with a salad or dessert, and the funniest story they just have to share. I come from high-pitched laughter and loud punch lines, or quiet secrets from a community that sometimes operates like a small town. I grew up listening to the nuances of these different stories, the commentary on why someone could never get along with his brother; the whispered drama of the men who dropped from heart attacks; the tears of laughter after the one about the old man who would vote, and vote often.

I started writing seriously as a teenager. I wrote then as I do now— to explore characters and understand their motivations. My first published story, “Yossi” (based on a

true Holocaust story I heard while travelling in Israel) won the Canadian Author and Bookman prize for fiction, as well as its scholarship for Most Promising Writer. Since then, my short work (fiction and non-fiction) has been published in Canada (including CBC Radio, The Globe and Mail, Prairie Fire, Jewish Fiction.net, the Metro) and in the UK (anthologies). Most recently, my story “Pufferman” was a runner-up in the Little Bird Short Story Contest.

I lived in Birmingham, UK in my 20s while my husband was studying for his PhD. There I found a great group of writers, the Tindal Street Fiction Group. Thanks to this dedicated bunch and their helpful feedback, I penned my first novel Holding My Breath over those three years. The book was eventually published in Canada (Key Porter Books), the UK (Tindal Street Press) and the US (Shaye Areheart Books) to critical acclaim.

I now live in Thornhill, ON with my husband, Jason Shron and our three children, Boaz, Dalya and Isaac. I write, teach and do freelance communications work for not-for-profits. I’m working on a collection of short stories. I’m always chasing down that feeling of finding a story that just has to be shared.